The Dos and Don’ts of Social Media

The Dos and Don’ts of Social Media

The Dos and Don’ts of Social Media

Gordon Fletcher3, Feb, 2011

It’s been some time since Google admitted that social media was an important factor in SERPs. The importance of social media links with regards to search engine rankings is in fact increasing all the time. It is important to follow certain dos and don’ts when using social media as a part of your marketing campaign so that you can take full advantage of this platform.

The dos include building one-on-one connections and building a following of users with social authority. When it comes to social media, it is important to remember that more than the number of followers or friends, the number of people with whom you have a one-on-one connection matters. These are the people who are most likely to like, share or tweet your content. It is also important to pay attention to the factors that are not visible upfront. Quality is more important then quantity when it comes to followers/friends. Quality of followers/friends is determined by their social authority which depends on the number and importance of their followers, sharing of their content etc.

The don’ts include expecting ranking spike with every social media change and relying on numbers. It is impractical to expect a spike in ranking with every change in your social media presence. However, monitoring the factors that lead to ranking spikes is useful. With search engines, and especially in case of social media marketing, you need to remember that numbers can often be misleading. Finally, you should always remember that spamming is a big ‘don’t’.